As a ruthless cost of living crisis continues to tighten its grip on households, people may be fearful that this Christmas may be a little less lavish.
Eight in ten Britons are planning to slash their festive spending in 2022, with shoppers expected to spend £4.4billion less on non-essentials in the run up to December 25 - according to retail forecasters.
However, there are ways to make your money stretch further, with The Mirror reporting on how you can slash your food bill by potentially hundreds of pounds this winter.
Read more: County Durham man covers home in 10,000 Christmas lights to 'bring back the magic' of Christmas
As supermarket prices continue to inflate with other expenses, Oli Townsend, of MoneySavingExpert, revealed that it’s about making careful choices before you get to the checkout. He said: “You may be tempted to buy the ‘finest’ foods for Christmas, but often that’s just marketing. Try ‘downshifting’ from branded to supermarket own-brand.
“Online tools like Trolley.co.uk help you to compare prices before you leave home. Also look out for special offers and discounted yellow-sticker items to pop in the freezer.”
Oli also added that you should wait until a few days before the big day itself to make the most of inflation-busting veg and booze prices, adding: “The last few years, supermarkets had a vegetable price war. If you’re a Baileys fan, look for supermarkets to reduce litre bottles down to £10 in the run-up to Christmas.”
Here are 15 of the best Christmas food and drink deals to help you slash your expenditure this year.
1) Turkey crown
Pricey: Waitrose gingerbread stuffed bronze turkey crown 2kg-2.7kg – £58-£79 (£29/kg)
Bargain: Aldi Oakhurst medium British turkey crown 2-2.3kg – £15.49 (£6.74 per kg)
Savings - £63.51
2) Turkey joint
Pricey: Ocado, KellyBronze organic free range turkey breast Joint 1.25kg – £55
Bargain: Aldi Oakhurst basted turkey breast joint 800g – £5.29
Savings - £49.71
3) Gammon joint
Pricey: Ocado Daylesford organic gammon joint – 1kg for £22
Bargain: Aldi Everyday Essentials unsmoked gammon joint – 1kg for £3.50
Savings - £18.50
4) Vegan 'no-beef' wellington
Pricey: M&S 2 vegan no beef Wellingtons – 450g for £15
Bargain: Asda cranberry Wellington – 500g for £2.75
Savings - £12.25
5) Smoked salmon
Pricey: Fortnum and Mason organic smoked salmon – 300g for £35
Bargain: Aldi – 200g for £4.49
Savings - £30.51
6) Stilton
Pricey: Paxton & Whitfield stilton jar – 250g for £21.75
Bargain: Aldi specially selected handmade Long Clawson mature blue stilton cheese – 454g for £3.99
Savings - £17.76
7) Crackers
Pricey: Gail’s seeded crackers at Ocado – 200g for £3.30
Bargain: Aldi Savour Bakes cream crackers – 300g for 40p
Savings - £2.90
8) Pigs in blankets
Pricey: Heston three-bird pigs in blankets – 12 for £10
Bargain: Aldi – 12 for £1.99
Savings - £8.01
9) Roast potatoes
Pricey: Pierre Koffmann’s goose fat roast potatoes from Farmison & Co – 700g for £7.95
Bargain: Iceland luxury perfectly crispy roast potatoes – 1kg for £2
Savings - £5.95
10) Sprouts
Pricey : Ocado’s M&S Brussels sprouts with pancetta & chestnuts – 350g for £3.50
Bargain: Waitrose Essential frozen Brussels sprouts – 500g for 90p
Savings - £2.60
11) Parsnips
Pricey: Waitrose Christmas honey & mustard parsnips – 600g for £5
Bargain: Tesco seasoned British parsnips – 600g for £1.60
Savings - £3.40
12) Fruit cake
Pricey: Ocado M&S Collection jewelled fruit & nut cake – 755g for £20
Bargain: Lidl Belbake Deluxe premium non-iced Christmas cake – 907g for £4.99
Savings - £15.01
13) Yule log
Pricey: Daylesford organic chocolate orange yule log – £20
Bargain : Asda Just Essentials Xmas yule log – £1.85
Savings - £18.15
14) Christmas pudding
Pricey: Ocado Daylesford organic Christmas pudding – 900g for £20
Bargain: Lidl Favorina large six month-matured Christmas pudding – 800g for £3.99
Savings - £16.01
15) Prosecco
Pricey: Bottega Stardust from The Bottle Club – £70.99
Bargain: Tesco Bella Cucina / Aldi Costellore – both £6.49
Savings - £65.50
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